A Wizard.jpg

APA citation – Le Guin, U. K. (2012) A Wizard of Earthsea. Boston: Graphia (Audiobook) ISBN 9781440721823
Award – 2004 Margaret A. Edwards Award
Summary – The first of an eventual series, A Wizard of Earthsea, is told through the life of Ged, a young boy whose path to manhood is beset by an evil being he unknowingly unleashed while under the tutelage of a master wizard. While Ged eventually becomes the most powerful sorcerer in all of Earthsea, he was once a wildly reckless youth named Sparrowhawk who, in pursuit of both power and knowledge, violated age-old secrets and accidently loosed an evil shadow on the world. This story is of his reckoning, dealing with words of power, ancient dragons and the very threshold of death.
What I liked/disliked – I love fantasy and this book was right up my alley. Ged’s plight piqued my interest and the writing was excellent. I cannot wait to read the other books in this series.
Curriculum Connection – Reading Standards for Literature 6-12; Craft and Structure; 4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
Genre - Fantasy

Activity/Strategy: Strategy 1, Semantic Mapping: Developing Robust Academic Vocabularies
Fantasy novels frequently use their own vocabulary, created by the author specifically for the story. As such, contextual clues are incredibly important when reading fantasy novels. As this novel fits that category, strategy 1 will be used to help the students facilitate the “new” vocabulary.
Before Reading: Introduce content words, present word map, distribute individual word maps and review the process
During Reading: Quick review of key words, students add to their maps as they read as well as write down remaining questions
After Reading: Discuss deeper meanings and connotations realized through the maps, clarify meanings and complete maps.